November 2021 Newsletter

 

The latest news from People of Color in Publishing

Featured
Featured Publishing Professional: Wendy Wong
Featured Publishing Professional: Wendy Wong

Why book publishing

The original reason? I was sick of being a freelance journalist and wanted to find something in the editorial space that also came with a steady paycheck. As I was looking for full-time editorial jobs, book publishing came up over and over again and brought me back to those early days of weekly trips to the library, maxing out my borrowing limit and my mom’s, and immersing myself in different lives, worlds, and ideas from one book to another. I was (and still am) excited to be a part of that, working with smart, thoughtful, passionate writers, guiding them and their work through each step of the publishing process, and helping these books find the exact readers who want and need this in their lives. There are a lot of lows that can come with being in this industry, but reading a proposal or manuscript, falling in love, and wanting to run out and immediately tell everyone you know about it…

Wendy Wong (she/her) was a food writer for several years prior to her pivot into publishing. She worked at a small educational publishing company before joining HarperCollins, where she acquired titles for Harper and Harper Business such as The First, The Few, The Only by Deepa Purushothaman, a Financial Times business book of the month. She is currently an Associate Editor at Ballantine in Penguin Random House. Twitter: @wendyplacething

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People of Color in Publishing announced that We Need Diverse Books has signed on to be a fiscal sponsor of People of Color in Publishing (POCIP), a grassroots organization created by book publishing professionals in 2016. People of Color in Publishing is dedicated to supporting, empowering, and uplifting racially and ethnically marginalized members throughout the publishing industry.

“We are so excited about this partnership as the missions for People of Color in Publishing and We Need Diverse Books align perfectly,” said Christine Hung, interim director of People of Color in Publishing. “We would both love to see a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive publishing landscape and this fiscal sponsorship will allow People of Color in Publishing to do even more of the important work that we are already advancing.”

Visit our shiny new donation page and feel free to make a contribution today!

Publishing Professionals Making Moves in the Industry

By Elizabeth Agyemang

  • Carolina Ortiz has been promoted to Editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books.

  • Gianna Lakenauth has been promoted to Assistant Editor at Knopf Books for Young Readers.

  • Rakia Clark has been promoted to Executive Editor at Mariner Books.

  • Charlotte Nip has joined Penguin Random House Canada as a marketing assistant.

  • Ashley Yepsen has been promoted to Publicity Manger at Amistand.

  • Ashley Spruill has joined Tor Books as a Publicist.

Congratulations to all!

By Gianna Lakenauth

By Chonise Bass

Check out these awesome bookish content creators!

By Gianna Lakenauth

November 14th-21 

Miami Book Fair, Miami, FL

An eight-day literary festival in Miami Florida.

November 20th

2-6 PM EST

Lit-N-Brooklyn

The second annual Lit-N-Brooklyn Pop-Up shop for authors, publishers, and entrepreneurs.

If People of Color of Publishing has helped you as an industry professional, please let us know and share your experience with us. Submitting a testimonial will assist us in sharing with others how impactful our programming can be to our community and help us reach new industry professionals.

 
Elizabeth Agyemang